Torrential rains triggered a landslide in Al-Jaref village, located in Yemen’s Dhamar province, on Friday night, resulting in the deaths of at least 27 people and leaving two others missing, according to local media reports on Saturday.
This marks the second fatal landslide in Yemen within a week. Local media also reported that the landslide damaged or destroyed 23 houses in the hillside village.
Locals mentioned that around two dozen people were trapped inside two homes as the landslide, caused by the collapse of a hilltop dam, swept them away.
Meanwhile, in the district of Melhan in the northern province of Mahweet, local authorities stated that communities in flood-hit areas remain cut off, raising concerns about potential starvation if food supplies run out.
The UN Population Fund reported that on Tuesday night, landslides caused by the collapse of three dams swept through several highland villages in Melhan, leaving 41 people missing, affecting 1,020 families, destroying 40 homes, and partially damaging 230 others.
Since late July, severe rains have impacted several regions in Yemen, particularly the central highlands and western provinces, leading to widespread flooding that has destroyed homes, submerged residential areas, and severely damaged roads, water pipelines, and other infrastructure.
In a Friday update, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, reported that over the past month, floods in Yemen have killed 97 people, injured many more, affected over 56,000 households across 20 Yemeni districts, and displaced more than 1,000 families. The provinces of Hodeidah, Hajjah, and Marib have been the hardest hit.
